journeys of a restless mind

for any Diary of a SMOTE fans

I have successfully imported the archives from my Diary of a Single Mom on the Edge blog over here to my nina turns 40/destinations slice of the internet.  For now, it will simply house the archives - with no advertisements whatsoever! - of what I wrote during my tenure at Club Mom.  (My understanding is that Club Mom will henceforth consist of mainly Cafe Mom.)  I may or may not start to post regularly again there, but I wanted to have a home for the work I did there and keep the option open if I ever decide to blog mostly about parenting. 

Blogging for Club Mom was a great experience, and I want to thank the many fine folks there as well as all the fabulous people who read and commented and let me share my life.  I hope some of you will stick around.

I wish you all the best in 2008.

sloth

I've been indulging in the most decadent lying about.  I've read, I've watched movies, I've lost many a round of "ATV 4: Offroad Fury".  I've done a couple of useful things like buy groceries and make lunch and wash clothes.  But mostly there has been sloth, with a wee bit of gluttony thrown in for good measure.  (Have you tried those mint truffle Hershy's kisses?  They are perfect in that lowbrow sort of way that Hershey's has perfected.)  We've been sleeping a lot, too.  I'm making up for all those dark mornings, both of the recent past and imminent future, that I've had to force myself up to face what seems like the dark, cold middle of the night.  It's exactly how I wanted to spend my Christmas vacation, and I feel very blessed to have had this time off.

In a bit I leave to go visit Medford Man and then all too soon, it will be back to work and the same old routine.  But I still have some time to finish the Best American Short Stories of 2007 and catch up on my New Yorkers.  It's a nice way to end the year.

a joke from Hijo

What kinds of helmets give you special powers?

Supervisors!

friday iPod random* ten lyrics quiz, solstice edition

Haven't done one of these in quite awhile.  Tell me the name of the song, and remember, Santa hates Googlers.

1) If I, if I have been untrue,
    I hope you know, it was never to you.

2) I've been travelling so long,
    how am I ever gonna know my home when I see it again?

3) Sun lights up the daytime,
    Moon lights up the night.

4) I'd be a silly so-and-so, if I should ever let it go.

5) There's no comprehending
    Just how close to the bone and the skin and the eyes and the lips
    You can get
    And still feel so alone

6) Had my hand on a dollar bill
    And the dollar bill blew away
    But the sun is shining down on me
    And it's here to stay

7) No one ever dies there,
    No one has a head.

8) I'm like a fish outta water,
    A cat in a tree,
    You don't even wanna
    Talk to me.

9) There's life down below me, though
    The kids are walking home from school.

10) Twice as much, ain't twice as good
      And can't sustain like one half could.

*random as selected by me to be not in Spanish or otherwise impossible for anyone to guess

UPDATED:  It's been a few days now, so the answers are below the fold.  Thanks for playing!

small town snapshot

It is Monday night and we are standing in the kitchen frosting the sugar cookies that we baked yesterday.  Icing and food color is everywhere.  I look out the kitchen window and see a long, lighted vehicle moving slowly down the street playing Christmas carols.  "Look!" I say to Hijo, pointing. I open the front door so we can get a better look.  A spotlight comes on and Santa himself dismounts from the vehicle which turns out to be a flatbed truck pulled by a tractor, full of lights and kids and topped by reindeer.  He comes to our door ("Santa! You're early," I tell him) and gives Hijo a very nice plush walrus.  Everyone on the flatbed waves.  We thank Santa; we wave back.  They pull away and we shout "Merry Christmas!" after them. The tag on the walrus says, Courtesy of the PT Fire Department.

small town snapshot

On the sidewalk outside the bakery there are white footprints.  The windows are steamed up; my glasses do the same when I step inside.  Racks of warm bread line the walls. They don't take credit cards. One cranberry-walnut loaf, and across the street to buy fromage blanc. 

plastic angel 2

plastic angel 1

We got battered by a warm wind today.  The tide was as high as I've seen it, the water lapping at the undersides of docks.  Waves crashed and sprayed.  The rigging on the sailboats in the marina rattled like ghosts' chains.  The orange-red navigation buoy tilted way over, the sound of the wind masking its bell.  Every time I'd step outside my hair would whip wildly around my head.  The warmth evoked tropical islands: I almost expected to see a palm tree bent against the wind instead of cedars and fir.